Alive in Christ to share life in Christ

5200 Lake Otis Parkway · 563-3499 · FaithAlaska.com

Confirmation Sunday June 28, 2020

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Exodus 19:2-8a

“After [Israel] set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of [Mount Sinai].

3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had commanded him to speak. 8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the LORD has said.”

The First Lesson

A word from your pastor about this Word of God

The Old Testament people of God were the creation of His divine love. In love, God saw their slavery and brought judgment upon their Egyptian captors. In love, God carried them on eagles’ wings to Himself. At Mount Sinai, God lovingly set them apart from the rest of the world for the holy purpose of bringing our Redeemer into the world. Then as now, God’s lavish grace is the motivation to obey Him fully and keep His commandments.

❶ What is the difference between a bilateral covenant and a unilateral covenant? Which one did God establish with the Israelites at Sinai? What kind of covenant has God established with us?

❷ Explain why living the Gospel moves us to obey God’s law..

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The Second Lesson Romans 5:6-11

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

A word from your pastor about this Word of God

Pause and contemplate the great love and compassion of God. We cannot fully perceive God yet, but we can see His actions. In the Old Testament, God often pointed to His rescuing of the Israelites from slavery as a sign of His faithful love. For us in New Testament times, we have an even greater sign and the perfect culmination of His grace. Consider the compassion of God as seen in the sacrifice of Christ for the ungodly world. Christ did not die for good Christian folk. He died for the ungodly, the immoral, the enemies of God who wanted nothing to do with this sacrifice. In short, He died for us, because that is what we were before the grace and mercy of God sought us and found us.

Christ died for us and reconciled us to God. That was the hard part! If God’s love paid such a high price to declare us holy, is it any trouble for Him to save us from the coming wrath and bring us to the enjoyment of eternal life? Not at all! That’s why we can live the Gospel with confidence.

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The Gospel Matthew 9:35-10:8

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

10 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

A word from your pastor about this Word of God

The compassion of God for the lost and helpless sinner is the reason for Christ’s rescue mission. It is Christ’s life and death as our substitute that saves us. But how can anyone believe this if they don’t hear the news? So Christ sends us His followers out with the saving message of the Gospel. You and I have freely received life in Christ, let us freely share that life in

Christ as we live the Gospel.

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Message Notes Living the Gospel: Confirmed with Confidence

A sermon based on Romans 5:6-11

If you have any doubt whatsoever about your need for Christ and His Gospel, listen to how Paul describes us: “powerless, ungodly, sinners, God’s enemies.” We all like to think we have some strength about which we can boast, be it mental, physical, financial or whatever. But as God sees us, we have no strength at all, no strength to seek Him, no strength to serve Him, no strength to save ourselves. We have lacked true reverence for the true God. We haven’t just gone a wee bit off course, but have totally and absolutely missed the target of God’s holiness. We stood in opposition to God and everything He represents. We call this “total depravity” and it leaves us totally damned if we are left to ourselves.

That’s why we confess in the explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles Creed: “I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel…” We need God the Father to love us even though we do not deserve it. We need God the Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us in order to pay for our sins and make peace between God and us. We need God the Holy Spirit to bring us to faith in Jesus so that we can receive His free forgiveness. We need this Gospel message to give us life in Him.

And the Good News is that God has already done everything we need! Christ has died. We have been justified, declared not guilty. We have been reconciled—the Savior has removed our sin and with it the hostility between God and us. He no longer regards us as just “former enemies” now neutral, not even just as friends, but as His own dear children, brothers and sisters with Christ.

Of this, we are confident. Living the Gospel, we rejoice.

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Announcements

Our pastors are ready to serve you in any way consistent with their office. If you have spiritual problems or questions, or are interested in church membership please contact one of them.

Pastor Christopher Ewings - Faith Lutheran Church and Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo - PastorChris@FaithAlaska.com - (907) 792-9788 Pastor Nathan Wagenknecht - Faith Lutheran Church and Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo - PastorNate@FaithAlaska.com - (817) 428-2356 Pastor Pao Moua - Hmong Faith Lutheran Church - PastorMoua@FaithAlaska.com - 891-2640 Faith Lutheran Preschool offers a high-quality education in an environment enriched with Christian teachings and values. For more information, contact the office at 563-3499.

It’s Time for Bible Study! During our summer schedule we will hold a family Bible study beginning at 9:37am. These shortened Bible studies will be beneficial for the oldest and youngest believers alike. We’ll take a look at some of the beloved heroes of the faith from the Old and New Testaments. We hope you can join us!

Congratulations to our confirmands! After a thorough study of God’s Word, our 8th grade graduates of Faith Lutheran School, Caleb Lillo and Kennedy Moua, are ready to confess their faith in Christ and their unity with us in that faith. The catechumens chose the following confirmation verses, professing their faith:

Caleb Lillo

Ephesians 5:10,11: “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

Kennedy Moua

Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

May the Lord our God be before you to guide you, behind you to protect you, beneath you to uphold you, above you to bless you and may the blessing of our Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—be and abide with you now and forever!

The Zarnstorffs are on their way to Arizona! If you would like to send them a letter, or visit them in the South, you can find them at

295 E US Hwy. 70, Box 18 Bylas, AZ 85530

We wish them Godspeed and God’s blessings on their trip and ministry!

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Announcements

Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Wisconsin Synod Lutherans are Christians who are convinced that the Bible is the Word of God. We are eager to share the comfort, hope and power of the unchanging message of the Gospel: Jesus Christ crucified and risen for the eternal salvation of mankind.

Faith Lutheran Church: 10:30 Worship Service, 9:37 Bible Study Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo: 12:30 Worship Service Hmong Faith Lutheran: 3:00 Worship Service with Sunday School and Bible Study to follow

Mayor Birkowitz has issued another mandate about facemasks. Stay tuned for more information about this directive and how it affects our worship at Faith. Be assured that we will always do our best to comply with the letter and spirit of the law in our ministries at Faith.

Dishwasher for toys. The Preschool is requesting a dishwasher in order to better sanitize toys against the sickies. Offerings may be marked “Dishwasher” if you would like to contribute. For more information, please contact our Preschool Director, Ms. Rockhoff.

We will not offer Vacation Bible School this year. While we were hoping to offer VBS this summer to the kids of our congregation, due to the conflicting schedules of both members and staff in addition to COVID concerns, there isn’t a week where it would be feasible to offer this opportunity. Unfortunately, we will have to cancel this, too.

Join us for a WILD youth rally! The Alaska Circuit is planning to offer the first ever Alaskan Youth Rally on August 6-8 in Denali National Park. We hope to have teens from Fairbanks, Wasilla, Eagle River, Anchorage and Kenai participate in this event. . For any questions, or if you’d like to help, please contact Pastor Chris.

Alaskan Youth

Take Me Out to the Ball Game! King of Kings Lutheran Church in Wasilla has invited Faith to play a few friendly games of softball over the summer. The two dates that have been chosen are today, Sunday June 28 and Sunday July 26. We’ll play in Wasilla beginning at 4:00pm. If you’d like to join the fun, contact one of your pastors.

Taste and See! from June 27-July 11, join with other believers in our Synod and learn about home and world mission work through various livestreamed presentations, daily devotions, and more. Visit welstasteandsee.com for more details.

Put it on your calendar! We will have our annual meeting on Sunday, July 12 at 4:30pm. After rescheduling the typical time due to COVID, we hope that you can join us to share your thoughts on our ministry.

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Stay up to date with what’s happening at Faith by liking our Facebook page. You can find us at Faith Lutheran Church Alaska.

Calendar

If you cannot join us on Sunday morning, you may watch our services online. You can view them live or any time after the service is finished. Follow the link on our website at FaithAlaska.com, or go directly to youtube.com and search for “Faith Lutheran Church Alaska.”

Offerings June 21

General: $6,486 Missions: $2,560

Faith Lutheran School June 21

Donations: $210

28 29 30 July 1 2 3 4

9:37am

Bible study

10:30am

Confirmation

Worship with Holy

Communion

4:00pm

Softball in Wasilla

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

9:37am

Bible study

10:30am

Worship

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

9:37am

Bible study

10:30am

Worship with Holy

Communion

4:30pm

Annual Meeting

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

9:37am

Bible study

10:30am

Worship

26 27 28 29 30 31 August 1

9:37am

Bible study

10:30am

Worship with Holy

Communion

4:00pm

Softball in Wasilla

Attendance June 21

Faith 52 Iglesia 8

Alaska Circuit Summer Conference in Kenai